Jason Dodge
What the Living Do
2023
Metal laundry cart, used bath towels (sanitized)
170 x 59 x 50 cm
Acquisition date: 2023

Consisting of a simple metal laundry cart full of used white bath towels, Jason Dodge’s What the Living Do might seem insignificant at first sight, and risks being completely overlooked. However, the installation work is based on the artist’s close observation of our society, its different strata, and their interactions. Scrutinizing the inner workings of Parisian hotels, Dodge realized that they were all connected by the same invisible thread. One and only one laundry company apparently supplies linen and towels to virtually all the lodgings in the city, from the most modest accommodation to the most sought-after palace. This fact inspired the arresting and insightful What the Living Do. A repository of intertwined fates, the cart-turned-artwork implicitly carries traces of fleeting moments, experiences, and dreams, fragments of the lives of guests coming from a variety of socio-professional backgrounds. By using a common motif to concretely represent them, Dodge proposes an ode to unity and an invitation to meditate on the ties that bind us together.

Born in 1969 in Newton (MA, United States) in the United States, Jason Dodge lives and works in Berlin. Through a minimalist approach, imbued with poetic humor, he most often creates installations made of miscellaneous items from daily life. His visual language comprises folded covers tied with twine, stacks of pillows, lit or unlit lightbulbs, and more. Although his work can feel disconcerting at times, restrained, and even reticent to reveal any univocal meaning, Dodge’s use of titles often helps the viewer to uncover hidden interpretations.